FPL fined $70,000 for nuclear waste storage problem

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced it will fine Florida Power & Light Co. $70,000 for three violations related to its waste storage at its Turkey Point plant near Miami.

In December, NRC officials said they found the amount of Boraflex in a nuclear waste storage pool at Turkey Point was low. (Boroflex panels in the pool absorbs neutrons so there isn't a mini-reaction as the nuclear waste is being cooled.)

FPL added boron, one of the ingredients in Boraflex, to resolve the issue.

"The company's actions ensured the pool's condition did not pose an immediate safety concern, but the NRC found that FPL did not promptly identify and correct the condition," regulators wrote in a statement, adding that the issue "has low to moderate safety significance" and may result in more inspections.

The NRC held a meeting with FPL officials in April where the utility disagreed with some of the agency's findings.

FPL Spokesman Michael Waldron said the NRC's assessment didn't take into account two other measures the utility did in addition to adding boron: it moved the fuel in the pool and inserted control rods.

"Every engineering and independent analysis of our spent fuel pool shows that the action we took to address the issue more than offset any issue related to the panels," Waldron said. "FPL involved two independent outside experts who have validated our actions and the safety of the pools."

Waldron also said that the issue happened in one out of more than 1,400 cells in the reactor's waste pool. He said the amount of nuclear waste produced at Turkey Point over the past 35 years would fit into into a 16-foot cube and FPL is in the process of replacing the Boraflex panels with a new technology.